Lock for bracelets or the like



April 10, 1951 J. KURLAND .LOCK FOR BRACELETS OR THE L IKE Filed March 9, 1949 Patented Apr. 10, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOOK FOR BRACELETS OR THE LIKE Julius Kurland, Forest Hills, N. Y.

Application March 9, 1949, Serial No. 80,410

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to looks for bracelets in general, and for wrist watch bands in particular.

It is the primary aim and object of the present invention to provide for a watch band or the like a lock that will open only on being manipulated by the wearer in a simple, yet deliberate manner which renders accidental opening of the lock impossible.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a lock of this type which is of very simple and rugged construction and pleasing appearance, and which readily lends itself to efiicient and inexpensive mass production.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings. 1

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same lock;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the lock, the section being taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing certain parts of the lock in difierent positions; and

Fig. 5 is a section taken substantially on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral l designates a lock for a bracelet or the like. In the present instance, the look I 0 is shown applied to a watch band l2 of the type employing flexible cords M for holding a watch on the wearers wrist. The lock it comprises complementary closure members l6 and I8 of which the former is, in the present instance, formed integrally with an end piece 20 of a conventional type. The end piece 20, which may be made from any suitable material, such as sheet metal, is shown herein as being of channel shape, having a .rounded bottom 22 to which the adjacent enfl of the cord M are attached by well-known pivoted clamping means 24.

The closure member I6 is preferably formed into tubular shape, being, in the present instance, of rectangular cross section (Figs. 3 and and comprises top and bottom walls 26 and 28, ,respectively, and opposite side walls 30. The top wall 26 of the member I6, is longitudinally slotted at 34 adjacent the side walls 30 thereof (Fig. 5) to provide a tongue 36 which is bent inwardlyin the inclined fashion shown in Fig. 3. Provided on the side walls 30 of the closure member l6 are laterally aligned lugs 38, respectively, in which a lock embodying are mounted the opposite ends of a pin element 40 that serves as a journal for the hub 4| of a cover 42. The cover 42 has a laterally projecting tongue 44 which is adapted. to snap over the edge 46 of the top wall 26 of the member H3 in order releasably to hold the cover 42 in its closed position (Fig. 1).

The closure member 8 is, in the present instance, a generally L-shaped member having legs 48 and 56 of which the leg 48 is in the form of a link that is pivotally mounted with one end in an endpiece 2!) that may in all respects be like the described endpiece 20, and is adapted for the releasable anchorage thereto of the adjacent ends of the cords l4. The other leg 50 is in the form of a loop which is of sufiicient width to project over the inclined tongue 36 in the closure member I6 (Figs. 3 and 5).

When the lock ll! is closed, the tongue 36 in the member I6 projects into the loop 56 on the link 48 (Fig. 3) and prevents removal of the latter from the member it, unless the member 18 is manipulated by the wearer in a manner to which it cannot possibly be subjected accidentally. Thus, the journaled hub 4| of the cover 42 is so coordinated with the inclined tongue 36 that the loop 50 cannot be removed from interlocked relation with the tongue, unless the link 48 is tilted, relative to the member 26, into the angular disposition shown in Fig. 4 in which edgewise removal of the loop 56 fromthe member I6 is permitted through the gap between the cover hub 4| and the tongue 36. Inasmuch as the closure members It and I8 are, during normal wear of the watch band l2 on a persons wrist, more or less in longitudinal alignment with each other (Figs. 1 and 3), the tilting of the link 48 requisite for the removal of the loop 50 from the member l6 cannot possibly be achieved accidentally, but necessarily requires deliberate and intended manipulation of either or both members l6 and I8 by the wearer. Thus, so

. long as the members [6 and I8 of the closed lock remain within the maximum limits of longitudinal disalignment to which they may possibly be subjected accidentally on the wearers wrist, the loop 59 will remain in interlocked relation with the tongue 36.

While the present invention has been described with reference to a lock for bracelets in general and for wrist watch bands in particular, it is fully within the scope of the present invention to apply its principle to connectible and disconnectible parts of other devices in fields outside of the jewelry field.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that various changes may be made in the present invention without departing from the underlying idea or principles of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A lock for bracelets and the like, comprising companion members for attachment to the opposite ends, respectively, of a bracelet, one of said members having top, bottom and opposite side walls arranged in tubular form, said top wall having at one end longitudinal slots along the adjacent side walls, respectively, to leave a projecting tongue which is inclined toward said bottom wall, a pin anchored with its ends in said side walls, respectively, and extending across said tongue externally thereof and being spaced therefrom to form therebetween a gap of substantially uniform width, the other member being generally L.-shaped and having transverse legs of which one leg is a loop of a thickness to be edgewise passable through said gap when the other leg assumes a first position in which it forms an angle with the longitudinal axis of said one member, and the opening of said loop being such that said tongue will project therethrough on rocking said other leg about said pin as a fulcrum from said first position into another position in which it extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said one member when the lock is closed on a wearers wrist,

2. A look as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a cover having a hinge portion turnably mounted on said pin and being releasably closable against said top wall to prevent removal of said loop from said gap, and said other member is with the inner converging ends of its legs rockable about said hinge portion as a fulcrum.

3. A look for bracelets and the like, comprising companion releasably attachable members, one of said members having side walls, a bottom, and a top, the latter having spaced confronting parts disposed transversely of said side walls and forming an entrance opening in the top of said one member, one of said spaced parts being in the form of a tongue inclined toward said bottom and projecting toward said other part, and terminating in a transverse edge which is nearer to said bottom than is said other spaced part so that said tongue has a portion disposed below said other spaced part, said tongue having side edges spaced from said side walls, respectively, said other member com-prising a looped portion having a transverse end part insertable through said entrance opening by movement in the space between said portion of the tongue and the confronting surface of the other of said spaced parts, to a position in which said transverse end part of the loop is positioned between said tongue and said bottom, said looped part having sides which are movable respectively in the spaces between the side edges of said tongue and the adjacent side walls, respectively, whereby said tongue projects through said looped portion and releasably retains the latter in said one member, said looped part being insertable in and removable from said one member only by movements which includes a movement of said looped member in a plane inclined toward said bottom of said one member.

4. A lock as set forth in claim 3, in which said other spaced part comprises a pivot pin disposed transversely of said side walls, and in which a cover is pivotally mounted on said pivot pin for pivotal movement for releasably closing said entrance opening.

JULIUS KURLAND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 872,499 Cooper Dec. 3, 1,136,786 Faus Apr. 20, 1915 1,892,350 Kestenman Dec. 27, 1932 2,191,601 Wessock Feb. 27, 1940 2,454,439 Fontaine Nov. 23, 1949 

